Environmental group pushes fracking bill

A Columbus based advocacy group, the
Ohio Environmental Council, has come up with
its own plan to strengthen state oversight of fracking and shale drilling.

The proposal, called the Safeguarding Appalachian Families with Environmental Regulation
of Gas And Shale (SAFER GAS) Act, includes 34 different proposals.

Among them: the bill would impose a 5 percent tax rate on oil and gas taken from shale wells and
use the proceeds to hire more Ohio Environmental Protection Agency emergency response
inspectors.

The bill would increase fines that oil and gas companies must pay for leaks, spills or other
environmental violations, let Ohioans petition the state to declare certain areas "unsuitable" for
drilling and let property owners audit companies' well production records to ensure they are
receiving the oil and gas royalty payments they are due.

The proposal, which can be
read in its entirety here, is presented as a draft bill that could be debated in
the Ohio General Assembly. The plan doesn't have a lawmaker, yet, who would sponsor the bill and
introduce it for debate.

Gov. John Kasich supported a plan to
raise oil and gas severance taxes on shale wells, to help balance the state's two-year budget. The
tax increase never passed.

In response to the announcement
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
officials emailed a statement that claimed the state's drilling laws and regs are among "the most
comprehensive in the nation" thanks to past legislative changes to drilling laws and
regulations.

"(Natural Resources)and Ohio EPA continuously review the state’s regulatory laws and welcome
input as part of that process,” the statement read.